Billy Hurley Earns First PGA Tour Win At Maryland’s Quicken Loans National

Local favorite Billy Hurley III, aided by a fantastic chip-in on hole 15 and a great putt at the 16th, earned his first PGA Tour victory by three shots on Sunday at the Quicken Loans National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland.

Billy Hurley Earns First PGA Tour Win At Maryland’s Quicken Loans National

The 34-year-old Leesburg, Virginia native and 2004 U.S. Naval Academy graduate, who calls nearby Annapolis home, closed with a two-under-par 69 in the final round of the event hosted by Tiger Woods. 

One stroke ahead with four holes to play, Hurley chipped in from 35 yards to birdie the par-four 15th, and then sank a 27-footer at the par-five 16th to forge three ahead on the way to a 17-under total of 267.

Former world number one, Fijian Vijay Singh, seeking his first PGA Tour win in eight years, fired a best-of-the-day 65 to finish second, with American Bill Haas (68) and Spaniard Jon Rahm (70) a further stroke back at 13-under in a tie for third.

The win was a hugely emotional one for Hurley, who collected his first winner’s check in 104 career starts since turning pro in 2006, a year before he began serving on a destroyer as part of his military commitment. The victory also came less than a year after Hurley’s father went missing shortly before the 2015 Quicken Loans National before being located, but was then found dead the following month from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

“I couldn’t think of a better tournament for my first PGA Tour win so I’m thrilled to have gotten it done today,” Hurley, who is ranked 607th in the world, told CBS Sports as he choked back tears. “It’s been a hard year, a really hard year, so it’s nice to have something go well.”

Before this week, Hurley had made just five cuts in 11 starts on the 2015-16 PGA Tour, his best finish a tie for 41st at the AT&T Byron Nelson last month.

On Sunday, however, he remained calm and mixed four birdies with two bogeys to keep his closest challengers at a distance.

A stroke in front at the turn, Hurley increased his lead when his playing competitor Ernie Els ran up a double-bogey at the par-four 10th.

Though he struggled at the 12th, Hurley then sank a key 10-footer to save par at the 13th before his incredible chip-in for birdie at the 15th.

Rahm, the 21-year-old Spanish golfer out of Arizona State who was the low amateur at last week’s U.S. Open at Oakmont, ended a memorable debut as a professional after leading through 18 and 36 holes.

Article by Pablo Mena